Hair stylists accessory tray of the like

ABSTRACT

A hair stylists accessory tray is comprised of a base receptacle having a V shaped bottom and upstanding peripherial walls, the receptacle being adjustably supported on a mobile stand. A second receptacle is disposed above the base receptacle and has smaller dimensions length and width wise to provide manual access to the base receptacle at its sides. The upper receptacle has sloping sides merging into a horizontal bottom. Both upper and base receptacles are positioned in such fashion as to hold specific sizes of curling rollers, hair pins, clamps, etc., used in hairdressing in an orderly fashion readily accessable to an operator. Preferably the unit is formed of one piece of plastic or similar material by molding.

United States Patent 1191 Winkler 154] HAIR STYLISTS ACCESSORY TRAY OF THE LIKE [76] Inventor: Frederic V. Winkler, 14713 Waterway Drive, Rockville, Md. 20853 [22] Filed: Sept. 21, 1971 [21] Appl. No.: 182,348

[52] US. Cl. .211/128, 206/72, 220/20 [51] Int. Cl. ..A47f 3/14, B65d H24 [58] Field of Search ..211/128, 126, 133, 129, 131, 211/13, 60, 49 R, 58, 78, 163; 206/72; 220/20,22;312/117, 118,125

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 226,645 4/1880 Albaugh ..211/129 1,735,051 11/1929 Moe r ..211/129 1,754,998 4/1930 Geartts 211/133 X 1,928,594 9/1933 Kearney 211/128 X 2,538,966 l/l95l Flannery .1 312/117 X 3,244,128 4/1966 Rogalski et al.. ...21 l/I33 X 3,282,439 11/1966 Vitale ..211/131 [4 1 Feb. 6, 1973 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 723,284 2/1955 Great Britain ..211/131 Primary ExaminerRamon S. Britts Attorney-Donald A. Gardiner, .lr.

[ 5 7 ABSTRACT A hair stylists accessory tray is comprised of a base receptacle having a V shaped bottom and upstanding peripherial walls, the receptacle being adjustably supported on a mobile stand. A second receptacle is disposed above the base receptacle and has smaller dimensions length and width wise to provide manual access to the base receptacle at its sides. The upper receptacle has sloping sides merging into a horizontal bottom. Both upper and base receptacles are positioned in such fashion as to hold specific sizes of curling rollers, hair pins, clamps, etc., used in hair dressing in an orderly fashion readily accessable to an operator. Preferably the unit is formed of one piece of plastic or similar material by molding.

6 Claims, 3 Drawing, Figures PATENTEDFEB 6I975 3 715 038 Fig.

HAIR STYLISTS ACCESSORY TRAY OF THE LIKE The invention deals with hair stylists accessory trays. In particular it is designed to provide a hair stylist with receptacle means specifically configured to place hair styling implements in an orderly fashion at his or her immediate disposal.

Hair stylist or beauty operators trays are not new, per se. Such units as are available presently are trays mounted on a wheeled stand and comprising a plurality of compartments of generally box shape, i..e., rectangular with vertical side walls and horizontal bottoms. These trays, while convenient, are still not satisfactory in that the items accumulate in the various compartments in a jumbled mess and also spill from one compartment to another. In addition items of'different sizes become intermingled with the result that the user must spend time to painstakingly unravel the general mess when selecting various items for use.

Time, for the hair stylist, is valuable because, not only must the stylist accommodate the most customers possible on a day to day basis, but even more important, some hair treatments are of a nature as to require rapid action by the stylist. Thus, the stylist must have available at a moments notice various and sundry accessories such as pins, curlers, clamps, rollers of multiple sizes, in order to affect the desired styling techniques.

The present invention, then, has for its principle object, among others not specifically set forth but inherent therein, the provision ofa trayfor storage of hair stylists accessories or implements in an orderly manner with various sizes properly separated and readily available at the convenience of the stylist.

The tray is comprised of a pair of tiered receptacles including a rectangular base receptacle, having a V- shaped bottom and vertical peripheralside walls, a plurality of dividing walls for compartmentalizing the base receptacle into a plurality of compartments, said dividing walls being parallel to each other and transverse to the apex of the V-shaped bottom and spaced apart at equal distances from each other except at the center of the base receptacle; an upper tray centrally disposed, of rectangular configuration disposed over the base receptacle, said upper tray being of smaller width but of equal lengthas the base receptacle and havingside detailed description follows with reference. therein being made to theaccompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. I is an end perspective view view of a hair stylists trayaccordingto the invention,

FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of=thetray shown in FIG. 1 showing in greaterdetail the manner in which the tray is compartmentalized while.

FIG. 3 is a side sectional view taken along. the line 33 of FIG. 2 and also showing in outline form the manner in which hair curling rollers are depositedin the base receptacle.

As shown in FIG. 1 the complete hair stylists tray includes a stand 1 of tripod configuration having three legs 3 terminating in conventional caster wheels 5. The legs 3 merge into a single, vertical, tubular column 7 upon which the tray 10 is mounted for rotation and vertical adjustment as will subsequently be described.

Further consideration of FIG. 1. will reveal that the tray 10 is of one piece construction in the preferred form having been manufactured of a moldable plastic by known techniques. Of course, as economics of manufacture and material costs are brought into con sideration it might be advisable to mold the base receptacle and upper receptacle separately and thereafter to bond the units integrally together by any suitable adhesive or bonding process depending on the materials used.

Turning now to FIGS. 2 and 3, it may be seen that the lower receptacle 10 has an inverted V-shaped bottom 11 and vertical marginal or peripheral side and end walls l3, l5 l7 and 19 respectively. The apex 21 of the inverted, V-shaped bottom is disposed lengthwise of the tray and parallels the longer sides l3, 15 of the receptacle midway therebetween.

The interior of base receptacle 11 is also provided with dividers, said dividers 23 being spaced apart equally and paralleling the shorter sides 17 and 19 thereof.

The preferable dimensions for the receptacle are as follows:

Length 24inches Width 17 inches Height of walls at corners 2% inches Depth at apex of inverted V-shaped Bottom 4% inches Spacing between dividers 3 /4 inches (except at center 4inches) As also shown the bottom 1 l of the base receptacleis provided with a centrally located aperture 21 through which may be inserted the upper end of vertical standard 7 of the stand 1.

Disposed above'the base receptacle with its sides and ends aligned with the side and end walls 13, 15, 17 and 19 of the former is a secondary or, as defined hereinafter, a tiered receptacle 30. This receptacle is comprisedof a horizontal bottom 31 a pair of divergently sloped side walls 33 and 35 anda pair of parallel vertical end walls 37 and39. The end wallsarealigned with or may bean upward extension of the end walls 17 and 19 of the base receptacle.

The tiered receptacle 30 is also compartmentalized by the use ofaplurality of dividers paralleling the end walls 37 and 39. These dividers, four in number, are symmetrically arranged with' one pair 41, 41' being spaced approximately 3% inches fromeach end wall and the second pair 43, 43' being spaced a distance of 6% inches from each ofthe first mentioned dividers 41, 41

The compartments formed between end walls 39 and 37 and dividers 41, 41' are further sub-divided by a number of paralleldividing walls disposedparallel to the longeraxis of the tiered receptacle 30. Between divider 41 and end wall 39 are two subdividers 47, 47' which form therewiththe pockets, two with sloping bottoms.

Betweenside wall 37 and divider 41' there are provided threeequally spaced sub-dividers 49, 49' and 49 all parallel to each other and also to the longer axis of the base receptacle so that four pockets, two with sloping bottoms; two with horizontal bottoms are defined adjacent wall 37, while three pockets; two with sloping bottoms are formed adjacent side wall 39.

The precise central area of the tiered receptacle between dividers 43, 43 is also subdivided by a pair of parallel sub-dividing walls 51, 53. A horizontal bottom 55 is provided for the pocket area so formed. The bottom 55 and as well the bottom 31 of the tiered receptacle are both provided with apertures (not shown) which are aligned with the previously mentioned aperture 21 in base receptacle 11 whereby the upper end of vertical standard 7 of base assembly '1 may project therethrough.

As previously mentioned the entire tray assembly 10 is mounted on standard 7 for both revolvable and vertical adjustment. This is affected by providing a collar 57 of pliable material or of split form around standard 7 and, further, a clamp 59 around the collar 57, said clamp being opened and closed by a conventional wing nut and bolt combination 61. Thus, the position of the clamp determines the position of the table on the standard 7. Where the table is positioned so high on the standard that the top end thereof is below the horizontal member 55, this compartment may be used as a container for a boxed product such as, for example, hand tissues and the like.

In use the lower or base receptacle is designed primarily to receive hair curling rollers. These rollers vary in diameter from roughly an inch up to 2 inches or more. Since the bottom of the base receptacle is sloped the rollers may be readily stacked in the various compartments in such a manner that their central axis are disposed parallel to each other and to the longer side of the table. Thus, they are always available to the stylist in orderly form so that he or she may quickly select and or discard these items from and to the proper compartments.

The various compartments formed in the tiered tray are designed to receive clips, clamps, bobby pins and the like. Preferably the two larger compartments are filled with clamps since the sloping walls provide a means whereby the operator can retrieve or discard such clamps simply by feel and these walls will tend to direct the articles into the center of the specific compartment.

The smaller end compartments provide a place for smaller items such as hair pins, etc., all of which are disposed conveniently for use by the stylist.

Having described the invention in detail, what is claimed is:

l. A tray assembly comprising a generally rectangular base receptacle and a tiered tray disposed above said base receptacle, stand means for supporting said assembly, said base receptacle having a bottom comprised of a V-shape with the apex of the V disposed parallel to the longer dimension of said base receptacle, vertical side walls surrounding said bottom, a plurality of dividers disposed parallel to each other and to the shorter end dimension of said tray; said tiered tray being disposed above said base receptacle and having its long and short dimensions paralleling the longer and shorter dimensions of said base receptacle, the shorter dimension of said tiered tray beingo substantially less than the shorter dimension of said ase receptacle to permit of manual access to the base receptacle; said tiered tray having a flat bottom and two inwardly sloping longer side walls and vertical end walls defined by integral extensions of the shorter end walls of said base receptacle; a pair of dividers symmetrically spaced from the central axis of the tiered tray; a second pair of dividers symmetrically spaced from said first pair of dividers and from the vertical end walls of the tiered tray, a plurality of parallel subdividers disposed between said end wall of said tiered tray and said spaced dividers to form multiple compartments adjacent said end walls; a pair of vertically aligned apertures formed in the V bottom of said base receptacle, and said horizontal bottom of said tiered tray; said stand means including a vertical standard passing upwardly through said apertures and means movable along said standard to selected positions and engageable with said tray assembly for adjustably positioning said tray assembly on said stand assembly.

2. A tray assembly as defined in claim 1 including a horizontal member disposed above the bottom of said tiered tray and having an aperture aligned vertically with the apertures in said base receptacle and the bottom of said tiered tray to receive the upper end of said vertical standard.

3. A tray assembly as defined in claim 1 wherein the shorter side of the tiered tray is less than half of the shorter dimension of said base receptacle and said sloping walls thereof are disposed at an acute angle to the V-shaped bottom of said base receptacle.

4. A tray assembly as defined in claim 1 wherein said tray assembly is formed of transportation plastic material.

5. A tray assembly as defined in claim 1 wherein said tray engaging means comprises a clamp surrounding the vertical standard of said base assembly.

6. A tray assembly as defined in claim 5 wherein said base assembly includes at least three outwardly extending legs and the ends of said legs are provided with caster wheels. 

1. A tray assembly comprising a generally rectangular base receptacle and a tiered tray disposed above said base receptacle, stand means for supporting said assembly, said base receptacle having a bottom comprised of a V-shape with the apex of the V disposed parallel to the longer dimension of said base receptacle, vertical side walls surrounding said bottom, a plurality of dividers disposed parallel to each other and to the shorter end dimension of said tray; said tiered tray being disposed above said base receptacle and having its long and short dimensions paralleling the longer and shorter dimensions of said base receptacle, the shorter dimension of said tiered tray being substantially less than the shorter dimension of said base receptacle to permit of manual access to the base receptacle; said tiered tray having a flat bottom and two inwardly sloping longer side walls and vertical end walls defined by integral extensions of the shorter end walls of said base receptacle; a pair of dividers symmetrically spaced from the central axis of the tiered tray; a second pair of dividers symmetrically spaced from said first pair of dividers and from the vertical end walls of the tiered tray, a plurality of parallel subdividers disposed between said end wall of said tiered tray and said spaced dividers to form multiple compartments adjacent said eNd walls; a pair of vertically aligned apertures formed in the V bottom of said base receptacle, and said horizontal bottom of said tiered tray; said stand means including a vertical standard passing upwardly through said apertures and means movable along said standard to selected positions and engageable with said tray assembly for adjustably positioning said tray assembly on said stand assembly.
 1. A tray assembly comprising a generally rectangular base receptacle and a tiered tray disposed above said base receptacle, stand means for supporting said assembly, said base receptacle having a bottom comprised of a V-shape with the apex of the V disposed parallel to the longer dimension of said base receptacle, vertical side walls surrounding said bottom, a plurality of dividers disposed parallel to each other and to the shorter end dimension of said tray; said tiered tray being disposed above said base receptacle and having its long and short dimensions paralleling the longer and shorter dimensions of said base receptacle, the shorter dimension of said tiered tray being substantially less than the shorter dimension of said base receptacle to permit of manual access to the base receptacle; said tiered tray having a flat bottom and two inwardly sloping longer side walls and vertical end walls defined by integral extensions of the shorter end walls of said base receptacle; a pair of dividers symmetrically spaced from the central axis of the tiered tray; a second pair of dividers symmetrically spaced from said first pair of dividers and from the vertical end walls of the tiered tray, a plurality of parallel subdividers disposed between said end wall of said tiered tray and said spaced dividers to form multiple compartments adjacent said eNd walls; a pair of vertically aligned apertures formed in the V bottom of said base receptacle, and said horizontal bottom of said tiered tray; said stand means including a vertical standard passing upwardly through said apertures and means movable along said standard to selected positions and engageable with said tray assembly for adjustably positioning said tray assembly on said stand assembly.
 2. A tray assembly as defined in claim 1 including a horizontal member disposed above the bottom of said tiered tray and having an aperture aligned vertically with the apertures in said base receptacle and the bottom of said tiered tray to receive the upper end of said vertical standard.
 3. A tray assembly as defined in claim 1 wherein the shorter side of the tiered tray is less than half of the shorter dimension of said base receptacle and said sloping walls thereof are disposed at an acute angle to the V-shaped bottom of said base receptacle.
 4. A tray assembly as defined in claim 1 wherein said tray assembly is formed of transportation plastic material.
 5. A tray assembly as defined in claim 1 wherein said tray engaging means comprises a clamp surrounding the vertical standard of said base assembly. 